Stress and Cardiovascular Health: A Wholistic look at Cholesterol

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   Eat Qualitative, healthy food
   
   

   There are many misconceptions about what causes high cholesterol and heart attacks, and it is important to clarify the myriad of factors involved in causing them. Although we ingest cholesterol from over processed food sources and fatty meats, this is only one factor as to why we suffer from "high cholesterol." The fact that most just simply avoid "high fat" foods believing this will lower cholesterol is a misnomer. This common approach has caused a whole generation of individuals to be deficient in omega 3 fatty acids, which is a leading cause in arthritis.

   
   

   In fact, cholesterol is a fat molecule that is created by our liver. It is the precursor to steroidal hormones, it manufactures vitamin D, and it repairs damaged tissue, which confirms the importance and need for healthy cholesterol levels. When LDL cholesterol is seen in high percentage within our blood stream, it is not just because we have taken it in from high fat foods and is now clogging our arteries. It is due to several complex factors, which stem from within our bodies for the most part.

   
   

   One of the main and unknown factors of high cholesterol is emotional and/or psychological stress for extended periods of time. This extensive stress affects our physical body by constantly expanding our arteries to create more blood flow to help mobilize us for the stressful situation. We are in a typical flight or fight response, which becomes a problem when it is chronic, and goes on for longer than a momentary period in time. This extensive response causes our system to become overloaded.

take time to relax, every day in some small way!

The chronic overloading of the cardiovascular system creates small tears in the arteries and veins, just like when we over work our muscles. It is now up to our liver to create the cholesterol to help repair these tears. One of cholesterol's most important jobs is as a repairing agent. Now here is the kicker, because we are constantly under stress, we are constantly destroying our venous system, thus our liver has to work over-time to keep repairing this damage. Therefore, from a strictly bio chemical perspective, this is the main reason we have an over abundance of cholesterol in our systems. 

By the time most people are in their late 20's they have some degree of liver damage which creates an unbalanced liver and  cleansing system. This means the liver is creating cholesterol but is too exhausted to clear up all the excess, thus you are  now stuck in a catch 22!

So how do we prevent or fix this? Instead of trying to kill the messenger- cholesterol by using all kinds of suppressive medications, why not actually work on the multitude of reasons your body is trying to fix itself?

First begin to be aware of your stress level and find ways to eliminate or reduce it. Even if you can't immediately change the causation of the stress, you can do things to help you deal with the stress more efficiently so as to reduce the damage to your body. 

1. When you are aware that you are feeling stressed during the day, take a few minutes to do some deep breathing. Take full deep breathes in to your abdomen, be sure that your out breathe is longer than the in breathe since the out breathe is the relaxing one.  
2. There are a number of different homeopathic remedies that can be employed to help you release stress, the key is to find out what you stress about and how it affects you. Two of the top remedies I employ are Aconite and Ignatia. When dealing with mental and emotional issues it is always best to start with these remedies at a 1M potency and go up from there. Another great support product is the Bach flower rescue remedy bit.ly/5bXr
3. Try to empty your mind of any unwanted thoughts that are helping feed the stress. If you can not do anything about the problem you are stressing about right now then let it go! Come back to it when you are more able to fully deal with it.If you have trouble simply emptying your mind then find something positive to focus on for a few minutes and allow the good emotions that go along with it to well up within you. This will distract you from the old negative thought for a while to allow your stress level to go down.
4. Clean up your diet, removing any over processed foods and foods that are fried or full of bad fats. As this only adds more stress to your digestive system, which your liver is a part of!
5. Cleanse your liver, gallbladder and bowels so that they are working more efficiently. By taking a high potency- 30 to 60 billion count of a multi probiotic, you will enhance your immune system and replenish your bowel with good healthy productive bacteria. To cleanse your liver, work with Chinese herbal bitters that are specific to helping open up and clean out toxins from your liver and gallbladder. Homeopathic remedies that can help are; Chelidonium, Nux Vomica, Lycopodium.
6. Get some exercise! Any form of exercise will help release endorphins, which help to lift your mood and make you feel good. Exercise also releases tension, provided you are not over-extending yourself during your exercise.
7. Add some support supplements for adrenal stress, bit.ly/wqSNLO. A high B supplement taken according to manufacturing standards will also go a long way to helping you cope with stress in a more level manor.

Every organ and organ system is essential in its own way. Being aware of your own body and how it functions in both health and illness will go a long way in helping you to make corrective decisions in time to maintain your own true health.

Get outside, breathe deeply today and enjoy life.

In True Whole Health, 

Andrea

Spring Green Smoothies

Spring is the best time to detox for several reasons.

1. With the  increase in light our bodies switch in to more activity.
2. This increase in need for energy may not happen if our body is full of toxins and old waste by-products from an over sedentary winter along with an excessive intake of wrong food and drink!

www.thenewsurvivalist.com

So  my simple suggestion is to take at least one step to increase your health and energy; Add an energy rich green smoothie to your morning.

Here is my latest spring tonic! Feel free to change it up in what ever way appeals to you.

Remember to use only clean organic products.

1 Apple any type, I use Gala or Mac's, be sure to take our the core but leave the skin
3 Celery stalks with leaves
1 handful of Kale, green or black
1 handful of dandelion greens
1 banana
1/2 avocado
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
Then add your favorite blend of protein powder, right now I am using -http://www.ruthshempfoods.com/products/protein-powders.html
Add 2 cups of fresh clean filtered water and blend in a high speed blender until as smooth as possible. 

Drink at least one glass first thing in the morning before any thing else, well actually you can brush your teeth and have some water first : )
This should make enough for 3 full sized glasses. It would be best to drink all three in one day since the enzymes will break down over the next 24 hours even if refrigerated.
Try to do this for at least 21 days to get the best results.

enjoy!

Andrea

How to Have a Good Night Sleep

Sleep problems are far too common today. The inability to get a good night sleep is incredibly detrimental to our health and well being. So many people today are functioning every day on far too little or poor quality sleep.

Sleep is necessary so that our nerve sense system can rest and repair. Our upper, more cosmic aspect of our whole being is our thoughts/beliefs and emotions. These two aspects of our Selves takes a tole on us while we are awake and functioning consciously. The Nerves are always in a state of constant activity in order to keep us awake. This constant activity wears down our nerve sense system. The only way for this system to rest and repair is during our sleep, when it can completely shut down.

If you are not getting a full, deep sleep then you are not ever fully restoring your nerve sense system, which in turn manages the energy of our thoughts and emotions. Ever wonder why when you have a crappy sleep you feel so miserable the next day!

What causes sleep disturbances?

There are of course a number of reasons we can not "let go" in order to sleep fully.  There may be physical or mental, emotional reasons.

Physical disturbances that can interrupt our sleep can come in many forms. One of the most basic is being cold at night. As we sleep our body temperature naturally drops. If you are not covered properly or have left a window open, then getting a chill while sleeping may cause you to go in to a semi-sleep state leaving you unrefreshed in the morning. Another culprit is our digestion. Our digestive system takes the most energy of any thing we do. When we ask our body to digest and process food or drink later in the day, it is actually a heavy burden on our whole body. Try to eat most of your nutrients earlier in the day and eat more lightly in the evening, preferably have nothing after 8 pm.
Trying to clean up your inner digestive organs will also go a long way in improving you sleep. If you wake between midnight and 3 am, look to your kidneys as being over loaded, and interrupting your sleep. If you generally wake between 3 and 5 am then doing some liver, gallbladder cleansing would be a good place to start. As always when doing any cleansing it is best to take a probiotic to support the bowels so that they can properly clear away the toxins.
Another physical reason behind sleep problems is pain. However that is a topic for another blog!

One of the bigger reasons people have trouble letting go to sleep, is due to the fact that they are over loaded with unprocessed thoughts and emotions. These unprocessed issues may be recent or of long standing. If they are recent events and you are working through something, then this sleep disturbance should resolve once your conflict has been resolved.  If however, you have had problems sleeping for a long period of time and toss and turn due to thoughts running through your head, then the issue is deep seated. If your sleep issues are chronic/long standing then I would highly suggest you talk with a Natural Health Care practitioner who is able to help you fully understand the state and what is necessary to help you release it fully.

Here are some of the most common Homeopathic remedies that help resolve emotional or mental conflicts related to sleep problems;

Ignatia &/or Natrum muriaticum for grief related issues. If you are suffering from unresolved grief you may be experiencing frontal headaches, a desire to yawn a lot, either insomnia or a desire to sleep all the time, heaviness in your chest and of course a desire to cry at any time.

Aconite, Gelsemium &/or Argentum Nitricum for fear or shock related issues. If the shock was extensive or specific, there may be larger remedies required to resolve the shock. One way to know that you are still suffering from a shocking event is the constant feeling of anxiety or dread along with an inability to focus your thoughts, time passes slowly. Most Shock induced sleep issues are narcolepsy, snoring, sleep apnea or complete sleeplessness.

Staphysagria is a wonderful remedy to help release most anger or frustration, along with the remedy Sepia. A lot of people are unaware that they continue to carry their anger in life. Be attentive to your emotions daily and if you find you feel, flat or depressed, sleepy all day but not at night, or are easily frustrated by events then the odds are you are hanging on to unresolved anger. There are of course more specific remedies to help depending on the individual and what they need to work through. However, starting with these main remedies may help alleviate your sleep issue enough for the time being.

Lachesis &/or Hyoscyamus are remedies specific to resentments and jealousy. If you have recently experienced either of these emotions and are having trouble getting a good night sleep due to constant waking, then working with either of these may help you to fully release this state and let you move past it.

When working with Homeopathic remedies for emotional and/or mental problems, it is always best to start with a 200 ch potency and work up. Be sure to take the remedy in the morning as well as the evening. In this way you will be helping your whole body release the inner trauma gently and efficiently. The best way to know the remedy is effective, is to be aware of the specific symptoms you have been having prior to taking the remedy. Then be attentive to what symptoms have been alleviated, over the first few days of using a remedy. If nothing has shifted in 3 days then you have not chosen the right remedy.
Purchasing a book that explains remedies and their action would be a huge benefit for you in making an informed choice.
Here is one of my favorite books - http://www.minimum.com/index.htm

Happy sleep hunting!

Andrea